Noam Bettan, Israel’s 2026 Eurovision contestant, sailed through his first rehearsal on Sunday of the song, “Michelle,” at the Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna, along with his five backup dancers, and still found time to pose for a photo with Boy George, the former frontman of the iconic Culture Club band.
Boy George will be performing in Eurovision this year with San Marino’s official contestant, Senhit, on her song, “Superstar,” and has posted often recently on social media about his feeling of solidarity with Jews during a time of rising antisemitism around the world.
Fans who are eager to see how Bettan’s full Eurovision performance will look will be interested to know that while in the music video for “Michelle,” he wears a white shirt, a tie, and trousers with a leather jacket, in the rehearsal, he is dressed head-to-toe in black leather.
And although in the video for “Michelle,” the dancers are in shorts, white turtlenecks, and leather jackets, in the rehearsal, they are seen in bodysuits that are half white and half brown, with white leather boots. The black leather for Bettan and more revealing outfits for the dancers are in keeping with the flashiness of Eurovision. They performed in front of a diamond-shaped backdrop, which is illuminated by white and aqua lights.
Bettan posted a video in which he spoke in English on his Instagram account, saying, “OK, wow, wow, it was amazing on stage, I had an amazing time, I had an amazing sound, the dancers are amazing, I can’t wait for you all to see it as soon as possible, and let’s go. Let’s have fun. Let’s go, Israel.” He ended by blowing a kiss.
Fans’ reactions on social media to the new costumes were mixed, with Jack Lawson commenting that the dancers looked like black-and-white cookies. Other Instagram users were more positive, with Marwan Jaber writing, “Big love from Syria,” and others posting thumbs up and hearts.
Eurovision will open with the first semifinal on May 12, and Israel will perform that night. The second semifinal will be on May 14 and the final will be on May 16. Voters from around the world, including from both participating and non-participating countries can vote in both the semifinals and the final.